Conveyer type dishwasher



1948' A. H. HABERSTUMP 2,6368

CONVEYER TYPE DISHWASHER Filed Jan. '7, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR AORNEYs 1943- A. H. HABERSTUMP 2,446,368

convmm mm DISHWASHER Filed Jan. 7, 1942 :s Sheets-Sheet 2 way K N R? w INVENTOR fiz d/i/ hgewz uwp ATTORNEY Pei e nteei ing. it, that-8 NETEi S CONVEYIER TYPE DISHWASHER.

Alfred lill. lfliaberstump, Detroit, Mich,

to The Murray Eorporation of erloa, etroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application January 2, 1942, Serial No. 425,817

(Cl. ltd-'78) E '71 on.

The invention relates to dish washing apparatus and in certain respects it is related to the invention embodied and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 408,855, flied August 29, 1941, which has matured into Patent Number 2,436,169, issued Feb. 17, 1948.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved and eificient dish washing machine having spaced inlet and discharge openings for the articles and means automatically operating to thoroughly clean the articles while moving them from the inlet to the discharge opening.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved continuously operating machine for washing dishes or other articles which includes an external support atthe inlet side of the machine upon which the articles to be cleaned may be placed and from which they will automatically move into the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a similar external support at the discharge end of the machine upon which the cleaned articles automatically will be placed after their passage through the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multiple part washing machine through which the articles to be cleaned pass and which efiects washing and rinsing of the articles in a progressive order.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved conveying means for carrying the articles through the machine and which is of such a character that all surfaces of the articles to be cleaned will be exposed to the action of cleaning fluid thrown over the articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved dish washing machine which is built into a cabinet forming part of a drain and sink combination.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification, from the drawings relating thereto, and from the claims hereinafter set forth. 1

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View, with certain parts broken away, illustrating dish washing apparatus constructed according to one formof the invention;

Fig. 2 is a. longitudinally directed cross-sectional view, on a larger scale, of the apparatus shown by Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line t-i of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view, on a larger scale, taken substantially along the line 3-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view, on a larger scale, taken substantially along the line t-t of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7 is a similar cross-sectional view, on a larger scale, taken substantially along the line 11-7 of Fi 2.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, in particular, the structure illustrated includes a cabinet at having a sink ii and drain or similar sections i2 and it at the top of the cabinet. Walls it and it are provided at the ends of the cabinet and a similar wall ii is provided at the front of the cabinet. As shown, the sink ill and drain board sections i2 and it form a stamping separate from the walls I5, it and ii, and such parts may be suitably fastened together along the junction line I8 by releasable fastening means or by welding. The front wall I! of the cabinet has openings 2i and 22 at opposite ends and between these openings the wall may be closed by panels 23, 2t and 2b removably fastened in place. The openings 2i and 22 serve as inlet and discharge openings,

respectively, for the dish washing machine presently to be described.

Within the cabinet walls, a compartment is provided which includes an upper shell 2t having an upper wall 25, a rear wall 28, and end walls 2i and 2B. A complemental lower shell 30 has a rear wall at, a bottom wall 82, end walls is and 3t, and a front wall 35. As best shown by Fig. 4, the back walls 26 and ti have outwardly turned flanges 36 and 37, respectively, and between these flanges, a rubber cushioning and sealing ,strip 38 is provided. Suitably spaced bolts it extending through the flanges secure the upper and lower shells together. The end walls 21 and 33 and 2b and 3t similarly may be fastened together in order that the shells will be positively and sealingly joined.

As shown by Fig. 2, the' compartment thus provided rests on brackets 42 and M, respectively, secured to the end walls i5 and it of the cabinet and it will be observed that rubber strips it and A5 are disposed between the flanges 31 on the lower shell and the brackets so that the compartment is resiliently supported on the brackets. Metal retainers 46 and A! which may be releasably fastened to the brackets t2 and 43 are disclosed in overhanging relation to the Joint between the shells so as to hold the compartment on the brackets.

As shown by Fig. 4, the front wall 35 of the lower shell 39 extends upwardly to the lower edge of the opening 2| and then is outwardly turned, as indicated at 49, and finally it terminates in an upwardly directed shoulder 50. The edge of wall I! along the bottom of the opening 2! has a shoulder at its inner side and an upwardly directed flange 52 outwardly of the shoulder and these parts of the walls and il' serve as retaining and supporting means for a door 53 adapted to be swung upwardly to close the opening 2i. Suitable pivots 54 may be provided at each side of the door adjacent the bottom which hingedly connect the door to the frontwall of the cabinet. This door in its open position, as shown in Fig. 4, is inclined outwardly and upwardly a slight degree, and its upper wall terminates inwardly in a downwardly extending flange 55 adapted to engage the flange 59 so as to limit opening of the door to the position shown. A similarly hinged door 56 may be provided for the opening 22, but in this case the arrangement of parts is such that the door normally in its open position is inclined downwardly from the horizontal. As shown by Fig. 1, both doors having marginal ribs 51 around two edges and end walls 58 at the remote ends of the doors so as to retain dishes thereon, and as shown by Fig. 3, the end walls are movable into the compartment along the end walls 21 and 28 in close relation thereto.

Now referring to Figs. 3, 4 and 6, a pair of plates 60 and 6! are disposed vertically in spaced relation adjacent the back wall 26 and it will be noted that spacing means are provided between the upper and lower edges of the plates adjacent each end. Referring particularly to Fig. 6, each spacing means at the upper edges of the plates comprises a. block 63 disposed between the wall 26 and the plate 6| and a second block 64 disposed between the two plates. This second block has a smaller end portion 55 abutting the block 63 and the length of this projecting portion is slightly greater than the width of the plate 6|, so that the latter, while being held substantially against lateral movement, is free to revolve around the projection. The outer side of the block 64 has a recess 56 which receives a, projection 61 of an outer cap 68 overlying the outer plate 60. The length of the projection 61 is such that when seated in the recess 66, the plate 60 is free to revolve about the projection while being held substantially against lateral movement. A bolt 10 extending through the blocks and through the back wall 26 positively anchors the plates on the back wall while still permitting the revolving movements mentioned. It will be observed that the plates have openings l1 and 12, respectively, which are of suflicient size that revolving movements hereafter to be more specifically mentioned are permitted. One of the spacing and anchoring means, shown by Fig. 6, is provided at each end of the plate adjacent the upper edge thereof.

The plate BI and wall 26 are similarly separated along the lower edge of the plate at each end thereof and similarly the plates 60 and 6i are maintained in spaced relation. In this anchoring means at the lower edges of the plate, however, the cap 68 is omitted and the head of the bolt seats in the recess 56.

For moving the plates, a shaft 13 is provided adjacent opposite ends of the plates, as shown by Figs. 2 and 4, and each shaft is journaled in a hub 15 anchored by bolts 16 to the wall 26. The inner end of the shaft has eccentrically arranged portions 1'! and 18 and these portions, respectively, are closely but rotatably received in sockets l9 and 80, respectively, formed in blocks 81 and 82 that arerespectively bolted to the plates and 8!. Each of the blocks 8i and 82 may be formed in two pieces to permit its assembly with the eccentric portions 18 and I9, as will be readily understood. From this description, it should be apparent that upon rotating the shafts 13, the plates will have revolving movements in accordance with the movement of the eccentric portions I8 and 19.

For drivingly connecting the shafts, pulleys 85 are provided respectively on their outer ends and these are connected by means of a belt 85. A second pulley 91 on one of the shafts has a belt 88 thereon which leads downwardly, as shown by Fig. 2, too. lower pulley 89 on a shaft 99 projecting from a. reduction gearing 9i operatively connected to a motor 92.

Referring again to Fig. 4, the plate 60 on its lower edge has a series of rods 94 disposed in spaced parallel relation and extending substantially to the front edge of the compartment and it will be noted that each of these rods is connected to the lower edge of the plate by means of an elbow 95, so that the rods together lie in a plane somewhat below the lower edge of the plate. The outer ends of the rods are turned downwardly, as indicated at 96, and are connected to a metal strip 91 extending longitudinally of the compartment. It might be mentioned that the ends of the rods may be connected to the lower edge of the plate and to the strip 91 by spot welding or the like. With reference to Figs. 3 and 4, the end rods are connected to opposite ends of the plate by braces 98 and such braces in conjunction with the outer metal. strip 9'! connecting the outer ends of the rod serve to provide a sturdy rod assembly extended from the plate.

The lower edge of the plate 6i similarly is provided with a series of rods 99 connected at their outer ends to a metal strip Hill and in this case too, braces ID! are provided to connect the ends of the plate to the and rods.

Now directing attention to Figs. 3 and 5 jointly, the rods 94 and 99 are disposed respectively in alternating relation and the arrangement of eccentrics is such that while all of the rods revolve in the same direction about axes spaced from their center lines, the one set of rods 94 is moving upwardly while the other set is moving downwardly and vice versa, This means, therefore, that if a flat dish I92 is placed on the rods 9% (as seen in Fig. 4), it will advance in the direction of revolving movement of the rods and also downwardly until the upwardly moving rods 99 contact it and move it upwardly while advancing it in a revolving movement. Continued movement of the now contacting rods 99 moves the plate downwardly until the upwardly moving rods 94 again contact the plate and continue the progressive advancement.

In view of the fact that the rods are disposed in fairly close relation, dishes or articles of difierent sizes will be maintained in the position they are placed on the rods and normally they will not tilt or turn sidewise during the successive engagements therewith of the two sets of rods. Moreover, it is to be noted that contact with the dishes or articles repeatedly changes so auasee that no part or the article remains unexposed very long by reason by contact with any particular rod or rods.

It now may be observed that the doors I3 and lit lead substantially to the rod conveyer described, and since the door it at the inlet end is slightly inclined, articles placed thereon normally will gravitate on to the right end of the convey'er either due to the inclination alone or due to the inclination plus vibrations which will cause or urge the articles to be moved downwardly. Similarly,'articles at the discharge end of the conveyer will gravitate on to the door 56. These doors may be closed when the machine is not in use so as to close the. front side of the cabinet. In order to guide the articles on the conveyer, a curved plate I05 may be provided, as shown by Fig, 3. and this plate extends to the upper wall 25 and substantially to the plate BII. It may be welded to the upper wall 28 and its lower edge is sufficiently spaced from the rods that it will not interfere with their operation. The outer edge of this curved plate terminates in a flange I06 which, Jointly with the end wall 21, may provide a guide for the end wall 88 of the door 53. A similar guiding plate IIII may be fastened to the upper wall adjacent the other end of the conveyer and this wall will cause the article to be moved from the conveyer on to the door 58.

Now referring to Figs. 2 and 4, the lower shell 30 includes a reservoir III) intermediate the ends of the bottom wall 32, which has end walls III and I I2 and an intermediate partitioning wall I I3 adjacent the end wall II2. A shaft I I4 is journaled in ope in s in the end wall II I and the partitioning wall H3, and this shaft has a projecting end portion disposed between the partitioning wall 3 and the end wall H2, The shaft is provided with a series of discs III disposed in spaced relation and these discs are adapted to throw liquid cleaning fluid such as water upwardly through the conveyer. The nature of these discs and the manner of their operation are disclosed in the copending application previously mentioned. Beyond the end wall III, the shaft H4 has a pulley H6 and a belt trained about this pulley is in turn trained about a pulley IIE mounted on a second shaft projecting from the gear box 9I. It will be noted that the bottom wall 32 of the lower shell is inclined towards the reservoir IIIl so that liquid thrown upwardly through the compartment will either fall back, into the reservoir or will drain from the wall 32.

Water is conducted into the space between the end Wall H2 and the partitioning wall 3 by means of conduit I20, and this conduit may be connected to a mixing valve I2I in turn connected to hot and cold water inlets I22 and I23. Valves I24 and I25 in these pipes serve to close and open them as desired. The mixing valve is of such character that the temperature of the water entering the smaller reservoir space between the walls H2 and 3 may be governed as desired.

From the smaller reservoir space mentioned, water may flow through an opening I26 in the wall I I3 so as to flow into the larger space between 'the walls III and H3. The right end of this space is connected by means of a conduit I21 leading to a drain I28 and it follows that water flowing into the left end of the reservoir will continue to flow from left to right and finally discharge through the conduit I21 into the drain. This drain may be connected to the bottom of the larger reservoir space and a secondary drain pipe I29 may extend to the bottom of the smaller reservoir space. A valve I30 normally will close the drain at the bottom of the reservoir so that the water will have to leave the reservoir through the conduit I21;

' When the discs are rotating and the water thrown upwardly through the conveyer, it is desirable to confine the liquid thrown substantially to certain parts above the respective discs. For this reason, a flexible curtain I25 is disposed above the conveyer in substantial alignment with the partitioning wall H3 and this curtain is of slitted character so that any article on the conveyer can pass through it by deflecting portions of the curtain. It will be understood from this that the curtain is provided with a series of vertically arranged and spaced slits running close together so as to form a series of depending ribbons so that when an article passes through the curtain, it deflects one or more ribbons, depending on the size of the article. Also, it may be stated that the upper part of the wall II3 has a deflecting portion I38 so as to deflect any water toward the right of the curtain.

Assuming that the machine is operating and that the water level is maintained substantially at the level of the opening I26 and the end of the conduit I21 by regulation of the inlet valves I24 and I25, dishes placed on the door 58 will gravitate onto the right end of the conveyor and will be gradually stepped along as the rods revolve. Normally, for instance, the plate I02 would be turned upside down so that it may be cleaned better by upwardly throwing water and so that the water will drain from it. Then as the plate passes over the discs in the larger end of the reservoir, the sheets of water thrown against and over it will rapidly clean it, and since the water normally will be cleaner toward the left due to its direction of flow, increasingly cleaner water will be thrown against the plate and over it. As the plate passes beyond the curtain I35, it is subjected to water which is even cleaner because of the partition H3 and the curtain I35 and finally the plate leaves the reservoir in absolutely clean condition.

While the water in the righthand of the reservoir naturally will tend to get dirty more rapidly due to the dirt falling when the water is thrown upwardly, the continuously flowing water will remove dirt sufficiently as the dish washing operation continues that fairly clean water can be thrown upwardly even in the right end of the reservoir. Accordingly, with a continuously operating process, the dishes will be fully cleaned by the time they reach the left end of the reservoir. At intervals the reservoir may be drained to remove any sediment which might collect on the bottom thereof.

Finally, it may be stated that a drain I40 may be connected to the sink II and that the drain I28 from the reservoir may be connected to the drain I 30 so that the sink and reservoir have a common drain. From this it will be seen that the sink may be used in the ordinary manner and that if the dish washing machine is to be used. it is only necessary to open the doors 53 and 5B and then to start the machine operating. When the doors are closed, the cabinet has a pleasing appearance and, in fact, resembles the ordinary kitchen cabinet.

Although only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope or the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for washing articles comprising a compartment, a conveyor for moving articles through the machine comprising a series oi! spaced supporting rods in the compartment disposed crosswise of the path oi movement 01 the conveyor for supporting the articles to be washed, means for relatively moving alternating rods so that at one intervalan article is supported by certain rods and at another interval by other rods so as to complete the exposure of the entire supported surface of the article, and means for throwing a cleaning fluidin sheets parallel to said rods for passing ther-ebetween against the'articles as they are advanced thereby.

2. A machine for washing articles comprising a compartment, a conveyor for advancing articles through the machine embodying a series of spaced rods disposed in the compartment in substantially horizontal relation and crosswise oi the path of advancing movement for supporting articles to be washed, means for revolving certain rods about an axis parallel to but spaced from the center line of the rods respectively, and means for throwing cleaning fluid in sheets parallel to said rods for passing thercbetween and impinging upon said articles as they are advanced through said sheets.

3. A, machine for washing articles comprising a compartment, a conveyor for advancing articles through the machine embodying a series of spaced rods disposed in the compartment in substantially horizontal relation and crosswise oi the path of advancing movement for supporting articles to be washed, means for revolving each rod about an axis parallel to but spaced from the center line f the rod with the arrangement such that certain rods are moving upwardly while others are moving downwardly, and means for throwing a cleaning fluid in sheets parallel to said rods for passing therebetween and impinging upon said articles as they are advanced through said sheets.

4. A machine for washing articles comprising a compartment, a series of spaced rods disposed in the compartment in substantially parallel and horizontal relation for supporting articles to be washed, means for revolving each rod about an axis parallel to but spaced from the center line of the rod with the arrangement such that certain rods are moving vertically in one direction while others alternating thereto are moving vertically in the opposite direction, and means for throwing cleaning fluid upwardly in sheets par-' allel to said rods for passing therebetween to engage and wash the articles advanced by said rods.

5. A machine for washing articles comprising a compartment, a series of spaced rods disposed in the compartment in substantially parallel and horizontal relation for supporting articles to be washed, means for revolving each rod about an axis parallel to but spaced from the center line of the rod, with all rods revolving in the same direction andthe arrangement such that certain rods are moving vertically in one direction while others are moving vertically in the opposite direction, and means for throwing cleaning fluid upwardly in sheets parallel to said rods for passing therebetween to engage and wash the articles advanced'by said rods.

6. A machine for washing articles comprising a compartment, means for supporting the articles to be washed and comprising a pair of plates disposed vertically in adjacent "relation,

a series of spaced, parallel rods projecting laterally irom the lower edge of one plate and disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane for supporting'the articles, a series of similar. spaced and horizontal supporting rods projecting laterally from the lower edge of the other plate and disposed in alternating relation to the rods on the first plate, means for moving the plates so that the rods on one plate are moving upwardly while the rods on the other plate are moving downwardly. and means for throwing a liquid cleaning fluid upwardly in sheets parallel and wash the articles advanced by said rods.

7. A machine for washing articles comprising a compartment, means for supporting the articles to be washed and comprising a pair of plates disposed vertically in adjacent relation, 9. series of spaced, parallel rods projecting laterally from the lower edge of one plate and disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane for supporting the articles, a series 01 similar, spaced and horizontal supporting rods projecting laterally from the lower edge of the other plate and disposed in alternating relation to the rods on the first plate, means for bodily moving the plates in fixed paths of movement so that each rod bodily revolves about an axis .spaced from its center line with all rods revolving in the same direction but with alternating rods moving upwardly while rods intermediate thereto are moving downwardly, and means for throwing liquid cleaning fluid upwardly in sheets parallel to said rods for passing therebetween to engage and wash the articles advanced by said rods.

- ALFRED H. HABERS'I'UMP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 547,307 Volkommer Oct. 1, 1895 1,090,845 GOSS et al Mar. 24, 1914 1,215,107 Bush Feb. 6, 1917 1,281,864 Sparr Oct. 15, 1918 1,293,676 Blakeslee Feb. 11, 1919 1,339,810 Cochran May 11, 1920 1,420,418 Dow June 20, 1922 1,458,028 Burnham June 5, 1923 1,496,868 Blakeslee June 10, 1924 1,572,686 Schertz Feb. 9, 1926 1,664,637 Merseles et al. Apr. 3, 1928 1,697,220 Anstiss Jan. 1, 1929 1,697,894 Wright Jan. 8, 1929 1,730,348 Anstiss Oct. 8, 1929 69 1,776,568 ONeale Sept. 23, 1930 1,831,223 Anstiss Nov. 10, 1931 1,993,154 Elkington Mar. 5, 1935 2,073,521 Johnston et al Mar. 9, 1937 2,106,619 Merrill Jan. 25, 1938 2,229,663 Meeker et al Jan. 28, 1941 2,232,803 Rodda Feb. 25, 1941 2,254,269 Clark et al Sept. 2, 1941 2,284,875 Ladewig June 2, 1942 2,339,832 Arnold Jan. 25, 1944 roar-11cm PATENTS Number Country Date 287,391 Great Britain Mar. 22, 1928 553,770 Germany June 16, 1932 to said rods for passing therebetween to engage 

